What you need to know about maternity cover

Maternity cover and health insurance

Did you know that maternity cover cannot be purchased after you have become pregnant?

Too many expectant mothers only discover this when they attempt to purchase insurance for their pregnancy.

If you are living abroad in a country which does not offer free pregnancy services or healthcare for expatriates, an uninsured birth could cost tens of thousands of pounds.

Singapore is among the most expensive places to give birth overseas without insurance. According to the Singapore Ministry of Health, Giving birth in Singapore and staying in a ward for three days can cost between $4000 and $12000. For a C-section, you might expect to pay $20,000 – and complications hike that bill up even further.

You could encounter costs at any stage of the pregnancy; from pre-natal care to aftercare for yourself and your baby.

This is why it is vital that you buy an international health insurance plan that includes the costs of maternity and childbirth, if there is any chance you could become pregnant while living overseas.

Buying maternity cover in advance of falling pregnant protects you from unexpected costs and from having to travel home to give birth.

Steve McCrady, health insurance advisor at Medibroker says,

“We get a lot of enquiries from expats who never thought about purchasing maternity cover, become pregnant then contact us to get the birth covered. Closing the gate after the horse has bolted comes to mind!

When this occurs we tell them that it’s too late to buy cover for a routine birth, but depending on circumstance we can provide them with cover related to complications of childbirth.”

Complications before, during and after childbirth

The average hospital bill for a routine birth may sound manageable in your country, but unexpected costs can arise should you experience complications during childbirth, so it’s important that you ensure your maternity cover will meet these costs.

Health Insurance advisors at Medibroker can guide you to an international health insurance plan that includes Maternity Cover, and help you decide the level of cover you need.

When purchasing Maternity Cover you should consider…

Waiting periods – This is the length of time you must wait between purchasing your policy and making a claim. For pregnancy cover this is usually 10-12 months, but can be as long as 24 months.

Plan limits – Some maternity plans have a limit on the level of cover they provide. For example some plans may only pay out up to €7,500, leaving you to pay the rest of the costs.

Complications – What if the baby is premature, requires ICU care or has a genetic or hereditary disorder? Complications during childbirth can seriously increase the cost of care. You should establish whether your plan covers complications.

Co-insurance – This means that the cost for any treatment is shared between yourself and your insurer. For example you could pay 10% of any charges while your insurer pays 90% of them. This is a good way to lower your premiums providing you are willing to pay towards the cost of care.

Fertility treatment – is it covered and what effect will this have on other benefits?

Whether you are living abroad and there is a chance you could become pregnant, or you are already pregnant and wondering how to get maternity complications cover; contact the expert team of international health insurance advisors at Medibroker and we will guide you through your options.

We are a fully independent broker and our service is 100% free. We assess the health insurance market to recommend the best plan from over 100 options for you.

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